Las Vegas Sun

November 24, 2009

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Editorial: Keeping a lock on gasoline

Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2005 | 9:24 a.m.

We lock our doors, our neighborhood gates and now, it seems, the caps to our gas tanks. As the price of gasoline tops $3 a gallon, automotive parts stores in Reno and Las Vegas are reporting an increasing demand for locking caps for motor vehicle fuel tanks.

One Las Vegas Autozone employee said there has been a run on sales in the valley. "A lot of times, we're out of stock of the more popular ones," he said. The Reno Gazette-Journal reported Monday that store employees in Reno are telling similar tales, as customers spending $50 to $100 on a tank of gas are trying to protect their investments.

Northern Nevada police said they have not received any reports of gas- siphoning, and such incidents are difficult to prosecute because there typically are no witnesses or proof. Still, none of these locks are truly secure, as one assistant store manager told the Reno paper. If the area is dark enough and the thief is desperate enough, he'll "pry that cap off," the employee said. With gas so valuable, it shouldn't be too long before the alarms on our cars are wired to our gas caps as well.

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